Never Change
by kally77
Summary: Series of ficlets set after the events of "Three Times When Sasuke Didn't Kiss Naruto". NaruSasuNaru.
1. Never Change

_A/N: 5 ficlets set in the same universe as the fanfic "Three Times When Sasuke Didn't Kiss Naruto"._

_Merry Christmas, Kantayra!_

**Never change**

**.**

Three days after the big fight against Akatsuki, Sasuke got his sword back. A bit late, as he pointed out to the Hokage, but all she did was shrug and order him out of her sight.

He took the sword to the training grounds and launched himself into a series of exercises to get reacquainted with the weapon. A few feet away, Naruto was watching.

"How about you teach me to use one of those," he said after a while, stepping closer to Sasuke. "Then I'd have a new technique!"

Sasuke snorted. He could just imagine that. Naruto would probably skin himself alive without even trying. "You don't _need_ a new technique."

Naruto crossed his arms and glared at him. "Of course I do! Akatsuki is still out there."

Sasuke rolled his eyes but didn't reply, focusing instead on sending a small charge of electricity through the blade. Let Pain come back if he dared.

"Some people have been known to run off to get new techniques," Naruto said with a pointed look at the crackling blade.

Sasuke released the jutsu and looked at Naruto flatly. "And other people are strictly forbidden to use theirs because they're as bad on the user as on the enemy."

With a grunt, Naruto looked away.

"Don't move," Sasuke warned him as he raised his blade. "Don't even breathe."

Before Naruto could ask why, Sasuke swung his blade. It sliced down the leg of Naruto's pants, cutting through the fabric without touching his skin. The next cut was just as precise, and so were the next ones. In just seconds, fabric was fluttering around Naruto, revealing tanned skin to Sasuke's appreciative stare. Naruto's eyes were wide, but he didn't move until Sasuke lowered his sword. And then he exploded.

"You asshole! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Tearing his gaze from the large cuts he had made to reveal Naruto's chest, Sasuke looked up at his face and grinned faintly. "I was tired of orange. Flesh is much nicer on you."

He never expected the punch that caught him square in the nose. Sprawled out on the ground, he could only try to stop the blood from flowing and watch Naruto stride off in a rage, clutching what was left of his clothes around him.

"I'll get you a new outfit," Sasuke called after him, but Naruto ignored him.

It wasn't until Sasuke reached the clothes store that he wondered if, maybe, he hadn't made a mistake. But surely, Naruto couldn't have believed he would hurt him. So why was he so upset?

He started looking for neutral colors, black pants, white or blue shirts that would match Naruto's eyes, but he couldn't imagine him wearing any of it, and before long he found a perfect shade of orange. He had bought it before he even knew it.

Going home, he wondered how long Naruto would remain mad at him, and whether he would have to forfeit his turn at topping to appease him.

…

Sasuke wished he could have said he couldn't believe it. Sadly though, he could and did believe that Naruto was that much of an idiot.

Clue number one – Naruto was doing his Valentine's Day shopping while Sasuke was with him. They had gone out to get some groceries, and while Sasuke was picking things they could live on – fruits, veggies, some energy bars for when they went on missions – Naruto was perusing the Valentine's candy aisle, completely oblivious to the glares Sasuke was throwing in his direction. Maybe a couple kunais would get his attention.

Clue number two – Naruto knew Sasuke hated Valentine's Day. They'd had a very clear and explicit discussion about it just a year earlier. Naruto couldn't possibly have forgotten, which meant he was deliberately ignoring Sasuke's wishes.

Clue number three when they got to the cashier – Naruto bought three boxes of chocolate. Sasuke hated chocolate. Naruto knew that Sasuke hated chocolate. Now he was just trying to piss Sasuke off.

Well, fuck him.

Picking up his groceries, Sasuke stormed out of the store, leaving that idiot to scramble after him. When they arrived home, he banged the door shut in Naruto's face and went into the kitchen to put the food away. He could hear Naruto in the next room, but didn't care to know what he was doing, not at all, no. Let him write all the cards he wanted. It wasn't going to get him laid anytime soon.

Naruto tried to chat him up as they had dinner, but Sasuke remained stoically silent. It didn't seem to bother Naruto, and he kept grinning like the idiot he was the entire time. He was still grinning when Sasuke announced he was going to bed, the frost in his voice making it clear that Naruto would risk his cock and balls if he got too close to him that night.

At first light, Sasuke jumped out of bed. He had spent a terrible night, and the day promised to be even worse. Stupid Valentine's Day. Stupid chocolate boxes. Stupid Naruto for leaving them in plain sight on the dinner table.

With irritation gnawing at him, Sasuke flipped open the card on the first heart-shaped box.

_For Sakura-chan, from Sasuke and Naruto_

Sasuke harrumphed. Idiot.

Still annoyed, he looked at the second card. This one was for Hinata. The girl was still giving Naruto Valentines even though she knew it was hopeless. Some people never changed.

Grinding his teeth together, he picked up the last, bigger box, and tugged the card free. He was going to shove it down Naruto's throat and—

_For Naruto, from Sasuke-bastard_

The hell?

"Oh, you shouldn't have!"

He was startled when Naruto strode in, smirking, and took the chocolate box from him. Naruto immediately opened it and threw a couple of sweets into his mouth.

"And it's my favorites, too! You're the best!"

Sasuke blinked, unsure what was going on there. If Naruto was making fun of him, he had the beating of his life coming his way.

Still clutching his sweets in one hand, Naruto went to dig into the ramen cabinet, pushing away cups to grab a plain brown paper bag in the back. He handed it to Sasuke with nothing more than a slight grin. Still confused, Sasuke accepted the bag. He knew what it held from touch before he even looked in.

"Do you know how hard it is to get tomatoes in February?" Naruto said, his grin wavering, when seconds had passed and Sasuke still hadn't said a word.

Carefully placing the bag on the table, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's chocolates and put them next to his tomatoes. He then dragged Naruto to bed and proceeded to give him his very deep, very sincere and very vocal thanks. Repeatedly.

…

"You didn't."

"Of course I did."

Sasuke glared. Naruto couldn't possibly be that moronic, could he?

"You didn't," he repeated. "You're not stupid enough—"

Naruto shoved his shoulder, now pouting. "Hey! The old woman told us to pick. So I picked."

"ANBU masks are supposed to conceal your identity," Sasuke said through clenched teeth. "What exactly are you hiding if you wear a fox mask?"

A light redness coloring his cheeks, Naruto looked away and shrugged. "It was all I could think of."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at him. "Of all animals you could have picked—"

"Name one!" Naruto cut in, crossing his arms defiantly.

Sasuke said the first thing that passed through his head. "An alligator."

Naruto's eyebrows rose, clearly not impressed. "What a wonderful choice," he said dryly. "Is that what you picked for yourself?"

It was Sasuke's turn to look away. "No."

"What did you pick?"

Sasuke mumbled his answer.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

"I said, a raven."

Naruto laughed so hard he cried—or that might have been a result of their fight. In the end, the solution was easy enough. When they received their masks, they simply swapped them.

…

The front door opened, closed again, and the call rose, predictable as always.

"I'm home."

Sasuke let out a quiet grunt and did not raise his eyes from the scrolls he was studying.

"The mission went fine," Naruto said as he walked into the room. "Thanks for asking."

Sasuke snorted. His finger followed the last line on the scroll until the last kanji before he looked up and answered. "Of course it went fine. It was the most—"

His eyebrows climbed up, and he caught himself just in time before the sharingan could activate. Leaning against the wall, Naruto still had his ANBU mask in his hands. His fingers were tracing the raven features, but it wasn't his hands Sasuke was looking at. Instead, it was his hair.

His jet-black hair.

"What in the world…" Words failed him.

With a small, self-conscious grin, Naruto racked his fingers through his hair.

"It was an easy mission," Naruto said with a shrug. "But it was all about stealth. And my hair makes me stand out. You said so yourself."

Very slowly, his hands pressed flat against the table, Sasuke stood. He never looked away from Naruto's hair. "And of all the things I've said to you, _this_ is when you decide to listen?"

It looked… it just looked _wrong_, Sasuke decided. There was no other word for it. He had nothing against black hair per se, of course not, but on Naruto, the effect was horrible. It seemed as though his eyes weren't as clear, suddenly, his smile not as bright.

Not that Sasuke would have said so aloud, or even admitted thinking any such thing even under the most atrocious torture.

With slow, almost painful steps, he came to stand right in front of Naruto to look at the horror more closely. He raised his hand, but couldn't bear to touch. He sniffed lightly. Even the smell was unpleasant—although that might just have been the result of a two-day mission.

"Is it permanent?" he asked with a grimace of distaste.

"Of course not. Sakura said it'd go away after a few shampoos." A hand resting lightly on Sasuke's chest, Naruto pushed him back lightly. "You'd think I murdered your favorite kitten or something. You didn't even kiss me."

The idiot even had the gall to pout. Didn't he see that Sasuke couldn't—wouldn't—kiss him until he looked like himself again?

"I don't like kittens," he muttered, and, grabbing Naruto's hand, pulled him into the bathroom. "How many shampoos did you say it'd take?"

With an exasperated sigh, Sasuke picked up the first item of clothing from the floor, threw it in the basket he held against his hip, then made his way to the next lump of fabric. He couldn't understand how Naruto had managed to make that much of a mess in just the three days it had taken Sasuke to accomplish his mission. There were dirty clothes strewn all around, the bed sheets and covers were halfway on the floor, dirty dishes were piled up in the sink, and the trashcan was overflowing with cups of instant ramen.

Sometimes, Sasuke wondered why he had ever wanted to live with the idiot. The sex was good, but it couldn't possibly be worth—

OK, it _was_ worth the aggravation. And Naruto had better make it up to him later.

As he stopped to straighten the sheets, he found a bundle of clothes on his side of the bed. His clothes. The dirty ones that had been in the laundry basket when he had left. He made a grimace of disgust as he threw them back in the basket. They smelled. Why would Naruto—

Understanding came in a flash when he turned and found Naruto standing by the bedroom door, a cup of ramen in his hands and a vaguely guilty expression on his face.

"What?" he said defensively when Sasuke had stared at him for a little too long.

"Nothing," Sasuke replied with a slight smile. "Just… Never change, OK?"

Naruto's confused look was priceless. Humming under his breath, Sasuke finished straightening the apartment.


	2. The Best Father in Konoha

_A/N: More ficlets set after Three Times When Sasuke Didn't Kiss Naruto. Probably more to come. Sorry 'tayra, no poking in this one._

**The Best Father in Konoha**

.

The messenger dropped the scroll into Sasuke's hand and hurried out. Sasuke unrolled the message. His brow furrowed as he read it through. With a muffled grunt, he stood from his desk and went to the door that separated his office from the Hokage's. He pushed it open and quietly tiptoed in. Naruto's head was on his folded arms on the desk and he was snoring loudly, a thin trail of drool dripping onto the paper beneath him. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke picked up a pile of mission reports that needed to be read and stamped and dropped them inches from Naruto face. They hit the wood with a loud noise. Naruto sat up in a jump, his sleepy eyes blinking furiously.

"Wha…"

He noticed that Sasuke was glaring at him and returned his look. "I was thinking," he said defensively.

Sasuke didn't even dignify that with an answer. Instead, he handed the scroll to Naruto, who took it gingerly.

"What is it?"

"Suna sent back a reply."

Naruto was sitting straighter suddenly. "And?"

Sasuke wanted to sigh again. Couldn't the moron read? "They didn't find the kid's father."

Naruto frowned. "Isas," he said absently. "His name is Isas."

Sasuke shrugged. The child's name didn't change anything to the fact that he was now an orphan. His father might still be out there somewhere, but all his mother had ever told her friends was that he was a shinobi from Suna. And now, it was too late to ask her for details.

Naruto cleared his throat. He didn't quite meet Sasuke's eyes. "We could—"

"No, we can't."

"But—"

"But nothing. Most nights we're not home before ten or later."

"So? We work too hard anyway."

Sasuke could only gape at that. "You were literally sleeping on your work!"

"And if I don't take naps, I bet we can be out of here by six!" Naruto said triumphantly. "Even earlier!"

Sasuke had a dozen more arguments on why this was a bad idea. Each of them was countered in increasingly silly ways by Naruto. In the end, rubbing at his temples, Sasuke just barked, "This is not your job, dead last! Your job is to take care of Konoha—"

"And that's what I'm doing." Naruto glowered. "I signed that mission order for Konoha's good. His mom died for Konoha. He's as much a part of Konoha as you or me. And I will take care of him."

It took Sasuke a few seconds to remember when he had last seen Naruto that determined, and then he got it: at the Valley of the End. Both times. And while Sasuke had beat him the first time and let him win the second, there was no doubt in Sasuke's mind. Naruto would never have given up. Just like he wouldn't give up now.

His shoulders slumped and he nodded, just once. Half an hour later, they were picking up a confused three years old from his babysitter.

Sasuke still thought it was a bad idea – neither of them knew the first thing about kids. The best they could say is that they had been kids, long ago, and not very happy ones at that.

As they walked home, Isas already asleep in Naruto's arms, Sasuke kept stealing glances at them. Isas's face, against Naruto's shoulder, seemed at peace. Naruto's hand stroked his back in small, soothing circles. He looked…maybe not happy, but content. He met Sasuke's eyes and gave him a small, almost hesitant smile.

Maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

Sasuke wasn't sure how he had ended up being in charge of the food. It probably had something to do with the fact that, if Naruto had his way, they would have eaten ramen three times a day. Maybe Naruto's stomach could endure such a diet, but Sasuke's definitely couldn't, and he didn't even want to think about what the effect would have been on Isas' development.

And so that was why, that evening, Sasuke was slicing vegetables while Naruto cleaned up before dinner. Isas was sitting at the kitchen table, legs kicking in the air as he filled in a coloring book. Sasuke kept an eye on him as he worked. Isas had been with them for a few months already, but he was still very quiet with Sasuke, almost distant, reserving the retelling of his days at the daycare for Naruto.

"Sasuke-san?"

The voice was quiet, but so unexpected that Sasuke's grip slipped, and the knife barely missed his thumb. Annoyed at his own clumsiness, he turned to the child.

"What is it?"

"Do you have a Mommy?"

Sasuke blinked, taken aback. Where had that come from?

"I did," he answered cautiously.

"Where is she now?"

In front of Isas' earnest face, Sasuke's first instinct to snap at him ebbed away and vanished. Instead, he swallowed past the knot in his throat and replied, "She's dead."

Isas small legs kicked just once beneath him. His gaze dropped to his drawing before slowly returning to Sasuke. "What's dead?"

Taking slow steps to the table, Sasuke kneeled at Isas' side. He took his small hand in his and pressed it, palm down, over Isas's heart. "Feel this?"

Isas nodded gravely.

"When someone's heart stops beating, they die. They stop thinking, or talking, or moving. Their body stays but their mind just goes away."

Standing again, Sasuke watched Isas' brow knit together and wondered if he could understand yet or if he was too young still.

"Is my mommy dead?"

Several times, since he had moved in with them, Isas had asked about his mother. Always, his question had been about when she would come home. Always, it had been directed at Naruto. Never had he gotten a straight answer. As Sasuke looked into those dark eyes, already too shiny with unshed tears, he realized that Isas knew. He just needed confirmation.

Sasuke's hand clenched on the edge of the table. Naruto should have been the one answering this, not him. But would he have given Isas the answer he needed?

He swallowed hard and tried to keep his voice gentle. "Yes, she is, Isas-chan."

Isas looked down, and his bangs hid his eyes from Sasuke. His hands slipped into his lap, curling into fists. His body started shaking with silent sobs.

Dropping once more to his knees, Sasuke looked at Isas in consternation. He would have liked to say something. He just didn't know what. No one had ever tried to console him, and even if they had—

Without a word, Isas slipped off the chair and threw his arms around Sasuke's neck, burying his face against Sasuke's shoulder.

"I… I miss my mommy," he hiccupped.

At a loss as to what to do, Sasuke tentatively closed his arms around Isas and patted his back gently. "I know," he murmured. "I miss her too."

When Naruto joined them a few moments later, there were tear tracks on both their faces.

…

The first time Isas called Naruto 'Dad', something in Sasuke's chest twisted and tightened. For a second, he had trouble breathing. He looked down at the four years old child, at his small hand in Sasuke's larger one, at the expectant look on his face, and wondered where that intense feeling of jealousy had come from.

"What?" he asked, distracted.

"I said, can we go see Dad at the Tower? I want to show him my drawing."

Sasuke's bad mood only accentuated. Isas hadn't even offered to show _him_ that drawing.

"He's busy," he said curtly. "You can show him when he comes home."

Isas pouted all the way back to the apartment. So did Sasuke.

They had been home for half an hour when Naruto arrived. Isas ran to him, the drawing he had pulled out of his backpack already in his hands. A muscle in Sasuke's jaw clenched repeatedly as he heard Naruto's ooohs and aaaahs. The vegetables he was chopping for dinner might have been ferocious enemies for all the enthusiasm he put in his knife work.

He could hear them talking quietly, now, just not quietly enough when they were just outside the kitchen.

"Come on, go show Sasuke."

"But… what if he's mad?"

"Mad? Of course he won't be mad!"

"Are you sure?"

"I promise. Go."

Slow, shy steps entered the kitchen. Sasuke could feel Isas at his back, could hear him shuffling his feet.

"Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke refused to look back. A small hand tugged at the back of his pants.

"Sasuke-san, do you want to see my drawing?"

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke turned. As he did, he caught sight of Naruto leaning against the doorjamb and grinning like an idiot. He glared at him. Moron.

"Here, look," Isas said in a timid little voice, holding the drawing above his head with both hands.

Sasuke looked down. In the center of the drawing, a small stick figure with a wide smile was labeled "Isas", the lines that formed the word still a little shaky. On the right, a larger stick figure was crowned by large yellow spikes. Sasuke wondered if it was a crown at first before he noticed the crooked word beneath it. Dad. He glanced up at Naruto. He really had stupid hair. Returning his eyes to the paper, he noticed the third figure on the left. This one had black hair sticking up on its head, and unlike the other two, it wasn't smiling. It took Sasuke a few seconds to decipher the word beneath it. Father.

"Very nice," he murmured.

Isas's face reappeared beneath the drawing. His smile was a little hesitant. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

Isas looked down at his feet.

"You can call me Father, you know. If you want."

His eyes as wide as his smile, Isas beamed at him. That thing in Sasuke's chest tightened again. This time, it wasn't unpleasant in the least. From the doorway, Naruto laughed. Sasuke couldn't even muster a glare in his direction.

…

It was on one of Sasuke and Naruto's rare days off that Isas announced he had decided he would grow up to be an avenger.

The three of them had gone on a picnic on the training grounds, and despite the presence of ANBU guards nearby it had felt rather nice. Then, under Isas' shrieking encouragements, Naruto and Sasuke spared. Sasuke won – although Naruto would have disputed that interpretation of the end of their fight. And then, as they laid in the warm grass to catch their breath, Isas plopped himself between them and declared, "When I'm big, I'll kill the bad people who killed my mom."

Naruto sat up at once. His voice was gentle, as though he were consoling the child after a nightmare. "Isas-chan… They were punished long ago."

"All of them?"

Without looking at him, Sasuke knew Isas was frowning. The tone of his voice made that clear.

"All of them," Naruto confirmed, still as gentle. "You don't have to—"

A sudden puff of smoke interrupted him. Sasuke was on his feet in the blink of an eye. The sharingan activated. He pulled Isas out of the way with one hand. He had a kunai in the other. A twirling ball of chakra was already forming in Naruto's hand.

It turned out to be nothing more than a messenger, however, and with much grumbling and promises to make it up to them later, Naruto abandoned Sasuke and Isas to return to the Tower. When they were left alone, Sasuke looked at Isas, absently twirling the kunai around his finger. The boy seemed disappointed, but Sasuke didn't think it was because of Naruto's abrupt departure.

"You know," he said slowly, "there are other ways to honor your mom."

Isas perked up a little. "Like what?" he asked, eager.

"Like becoming the best ninja you can be, and living very long, and having a big family. I'm sure she would have liked that a lot."

Very slowly, as though he didn't fully understand but wanted to very much, Isas nodded. His eyes flickered to the kunai in Sasuke's hand. "Will you teach me to be the best?"

Sasuke didn't even think twice before taking the boy's hand and leading him to the line of targets nearby. Crouching down, he held out the kunai to Isas.

"Here. Let me show you how to hold it."

…

"So what should I do?"

Blinking slowly, Sasuke took a sip of tea to give himself time to think. On the other side of the table, Isas was practically bouncing on his chair.

"I mean, I can't just walk to her and say I like her, can I?"

Sasuke made a noncommittal noise. It seemed to be enough, and Isas just went on as though he had received an elaborate answer.

"I was thinking… the summer festival is in two weeks. Do you think I could ask her to go with me?"

Sasuke cleared his throat, temporizing a little more.

"You're right," Isas muttered, deflating. "It'd be going too fast. I should take things slower, huh? How did you let Dad know you liked him?"

_I beat him up a lot. I tried to kill him. I ran away for years. I let him beat me. I jumped him without warning._

Sasuke shook his head slowly. Could he even say any of it without sounding absolutely insane?

Isas sighed. "Yeah, it wouldn't work anyway. She's a girl and Dad is definitely not."

Unable to restrain himself, Sasuke snorted. Isas had never seen Naruto perform his Sexy No Jutsu – and for that, Sasuke was extremely grateful. Their son didn't need that kind of trauma. Still, he continued to look at Sasuke with a hopeful look, waiting for help that Sasuke felt grossly under-qualified to give. It wasn't like he had any experience with girls, other than trying to scare them off with nasty glares.

Pouring himself yet another cup of tea to delay the inevitable just a little longer, Sasuke raised the kettle toward Isas. "Tea?" he offered.

Isas' eyes widened and a huge smile bloomed on his face. "You're a genius! I'll ask her out for tea!"

He leaped off his chair and rushed out, throwing behind him a loud, "Thank you, Father!"

"What was that about?" Naruto asked, strolling into the room.

Sasuke shrugged, smiling to himself. "I'm just the best father in Konoha, that's all."

Naruto proceeded to protest loudly, but as they bantered back and forth, Sasuke wasn't really listening. For fourteen years, he had wondered every day what in hell he was doing and whether their kids would end up as damaged as he was.

It had just occurred to him that he might be a decent father.


	3. The Seventh Hokage

_With my gratitude to Kantayra - always_.

**The Seventh Hokage**

**.**

Sitting cross-legged on top of the Fourth Hokage carved head, Naruto was doing something that would have astonished quite a few people, and maybe drawn a couple of teasing remarks from his friends. They weren't used to seeing him read, and had certainly never seen him read this intently. Kakashi – the Sixth Hokage as of that very morning – might have understood. After all, he was the one who had let Naruto borrow this book.

As he reached the end of the story, Naruto wiped at his eyes – there was a lot of dust and wind on the cliff – and flipped back to the beginning. He reread the handwritten inscription on the first page, tracing the words with his fingers, before he started to read again.

He hadn't reached the end of the first chapter yet when Sasuke found him. Naruto wasn't surprised. Sasuke always found him. He wasn't annoyed to be interrupted either. If it had been anyone else, he would have asked to be left alone, but Sasuke's presence was fine. It was better than fine. It was necessary. Naruto had to tell someone, and he couldn't imagine telling anyone else.

"He was my father," he said very fast before Sasuke could say anything – or before he could lose his nerve. Looking up, he could guess Sasuke was blinking in confusion behind his mask.

"Who?"

Naruto placed the book next to him and patted the rock. Sasuke sat down, mirroring his pose and pulling off his ANBU mask like Naruto had. Only then did Naruto answer, feeling a little strange and unable not to smile. "The Fourth. He was my father."

Sasuke stared at him for long seconds. "You're kidding," he said at last.

Naruto shook his head. "I'm not. Kakashi-sensei told me."

He would have expected a few different reactions from Sasuke. More incredulity. Out right laughter. A demand for an explanation. Maybe even awe. He was a little disappointed when all Sasuke did was look away, frowning.

"What?" he said, suddenly feeling defensive.

Sasuke gave his own version of a tense shrug. "Nothing."

"Come on, Sasuke." Naruto huffed, now annoyed. "You don't look like that unless I've done something really dumb, and I haven't."

Sasuke snorted, returning his eyes to Naruto. He seemed… wary, for some reason Naruto couldn't fathom.

"I'm just thinking about what he did," he said blankly. "What he did to you."

"Oh. Yeah." Naruto leaned back to lie down, folding his left arm behind his head for support. "That was my first reaction, too."

With his free hand, he pulled out the picture Kakashi had given him from inside his vest and looked at his father, trying again to guess what he could have felt when he had sealed the Kyuubi inside his son. After a few seconds, Sasuke took the picture from him, looking at it intently for a moment.

"So… you're OK with it now?" he asked as he returned it to Naruto.

Naruto glanced at the picture again before tucking it away. Folding his other arm behind his head, he looked up at the sky. There were only a few clouds drifting by. "I think so," he replied after turning the question in his mind for a while. "He didn't do it to make me unhappy. And he was trying to save Konoha. I can understand that."

Sasuke lay down on his side next to him, propping his head on his closed fist. Without looking at him, Naruto could feel his eyes on him.

"Would you?" Sasuke asked very low.

"Would I what?"

"Would you do something like that to save Konoha?"

Naruto blinked slowly twice and turned his head to look at him. He felt like Sasuke had just asked him if he would fly if he was thrown off a cliff. He opened his mouth, but the answer refused to come. It wasn't as easy as he had thought, he soon realized.

In the end, he settled on the truth. "I hope I never have to find out."

…

The Hokage office had one of the best views in Konoha. It was a pity, Naruto thought as he leaned against the window sill, that the desk faced away from it. When he was Hokage, he'd turn the desk around. Of course that would leave his back to face the door, so that might not be all that good either.

He sighed softly behind his mask. He was supposed to be on guard duty but he was bored out of his mind. Being an ANBU certainly wasn't as much fun as he had expected. Missions outside the village were interesting, but keeping guard over the Hokage – especially when the Hokage could kick anyone's ass just fine, thank you very much – wasn't particularly thrilling. He hoped he and Sasuke would get another assignment together soon.

"Nice view, huh?" Kakashi said, leaning against the sill next to him.

Naruto didn't take his eyes off the village. "The best."

Kakashi chuckled. "It always amazed me."

"What?" Naruto asked, glancing at him.

"How much you loved Konoha, even when Konoha was less that nice to you."

Naruto thought that, if he looked closely enough, he might just find an apology behind those simple words. He didn't need to look that closely, though. He had made his peace with his childhood, or lack thereof, long ago. He shrugged. "I couldn't go through life hating everything and everyone, could I?"

"No, I guess you couldn't. I don't think anyone can, even if they try very hard." He chuckled again. "There's always something or someone to remind us we have a heart."

Naruto laughed, catching his drift, and returned his eyes to the village. Just over there, behind that corner, was the Uchiha district. "I'll be sure to tell Sasuke you said hi."

They stayed at the window a few more minutes in silence, then Kakashi turned his face to Naruto and considered him thoughtfully.

"Are you ready, Naruto?" he asked.

A flash of excitement coursed through Naruto. At last, a mission! He beamed. "Ready for what?"

"Ready to watch through this window and see a village that counts on you to be safe."

Naruto's smile wavered as he tried to understand. Now, he was a little scared to read too much in Kakashi's words than was really there. "Kakashi-sensei?" he said, suddenly nervous.

Kakashi pushed back from the window and took his hat off. He turned it in his hands as though he had never seen it before. "I was never meant to be Hokage very long," he said. "When I look through this window, too often I see the people who aren't here anymore. The people I can't protect. That's no way to take care of the people who are here."

Naruto glanced outside. The view seemed to have shifted, all of a sudden. Everything seemed different. He could feel a weight slowly settling on his shoulder, and for the first time, it scared him.

"I don't know," he said slowly. "I've wanted it since I was old enough to know what the Hokage was, but…" He swallowed hard. "I don't know if I'm ready. What if I can't do it? What if I'm such a terrible Hokage they throw me out of office and—"

Kakashi laughed. "You've grown up, Naruto. Five years ago, you'd have said yes without hesitating, without thinking of the consequences. Now you see the responsibilities that come with the title." He smiled. "You're ready."

…

Misaki's eyes were blue. Naruto couldn't remember if her mother's had been blue, too. He hated that he couldn't remember such a small thing. He should have remembered. She had been standing in front of him just five days earlier. And now she was dead.

He kneeled down on the floor next to where Misaki was drawing. She glanced at him again.

"Hello, Misaki-chan," he murmured, smiling gently.

She smiled back shyly. "'lo."

"My name is Naruto. I am here to take you to your new home."

Her smile vanished at that, and she looked up at her babysitter, who was standing a few feet behind Naruto, unable to fully silence her sobs.

"Mommy say be nice and stay with Akari-san," Misaki said. She looked down at her paper, clutching her crayon tight, but did not add anything to the drawing. There was a tree – at least Naruto thought it was a tree – and two stick figures, one bigger than the other. They were holding hands.

"Your mommy…" Something caught in Naruto's throat and he had to start again. Sometimes, he hated his job – and never mind that, as Sasuke liked to remind him, no law said that he had to be the one delivering that kind of news. "Your mommy isn't coming back, Misaki-chan."

He watched as her eyes widened, going from him to her babysitter and back again. "Mommy dead?" she asked in a very small voice. "Like Daddy?"

Naruto could only nod.

The blue of her eyes became even lighter as tears rose. Without thinking, he opened his arms to her, and she threw herself in them, burying her tears against his neck. He tapped her back gently, making the shushing noises he had learned sometimes helped when Isas woke up crying from a nightmare.

"I want my mommy," Misaki wailed in between her sobs.

"I know," Naruto said softly, his heart breaking for her. "I know. I'm sorry. I promise I'll take good care of you."

He had made the same promise to all of Konoha just a few years earlier. Sometimes, especially when he received news, like he had today, that a mission hadn't turned out well, he wondered what more he could do to hold on to that promise better. He doubted he'd ever stop trying harder as long as he was Hokage.

When Misaki's tears had quieted down a little, he had her say goodbye to her babysitter, promising to both that they would see each other again soon. Night was just falling when they stepped out. Sasuke had to be wondering where he was, Naruto thought with a wince. And when he realized why Naruto was late exactly…

He sighed and took off his hat to pass a hand through his hair. His night was far from over. He looked down at Misaki, only to find her looking up at him. With her still puffy eyes, she seemed a little lost. If he took her to Sasuke now, the bastard would scare her without even trying. He'd be sorry afterwards, of course, but first impressions were important.

"Are you hungry, Misaki-chan?" he asked her with his best smile, holding out his hand to her.

She took it gingerly and gave a small, shy nod even as she sniffled.

"I know the best place for dinner. Do you like ramen?"

…

From the top of the Tower, the view of the Hokage mountain was unobstructed. Naruto had been contemplating it for an hour when Sasuke found him. He looked back, throwing him a half-smile. He could trust Sasuke to find him and drag him back to work whenever he tried to take a small break.

"You can't delay any longer," Sasuke said without preamble.

Naruto grimaced, returning his eyes to the carved faces watching over Konoha.

"Come on." Sasuke came to stand by Naruto's side, resting his forearms on the railing. "You've wanted this for how long? And now you're pushing it back again and again."

Shrugging, Naruto didn't reply.

Sasuke huffed and elbowed Naruto in the ribs. "You're annoying."

"Yeah, you've told me often enough."

Without looking at him, Naruto could tell that Sasuke was rolling his eyes. His exasperated tone said as much. "So why aren't you signing that order?"

Naruto shrugged again. "I don't know. I just… it'll be weird."

"Weird," Sasuke repeated flatly when Naruto didn't elaborate.

"Weird to see my face up there next to Kakashi-sensei, and Tsunade-baachan, and…"

His voice trailed off. He turned away from the mountain, leaning back against the railing.

Head cocked to one side, Sasuke looked at him. "And your father," he finished Naruto's thought.

"And my father," Naruto said quietly. Frowning, he met Sasuke's eyes and added, "I didn't do it for him, you know."

Sasuke's expression revealed nothing of his thoughts. He merely raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted everyone to know who I was," he insisted. "Make my mark."

"And you did," Sasuke said, placating. "As surprising as it still is to me, you're a good leader."

Naruto threw him a dirty look, but after a few seconds, he started grinning. "You're right. It's time for me to get on there."

He faced the mountain again, already holding back his laughter.

"Say, Sasuke… how about shaking things up a bit?"

Sasuke sounded wary when he asked, very slowly: "Shake things how, dobe?"

"Well, my face would dazzle everyone and then no work would get done around the village…"

He waited for a reaction. When Sasuke, oh so predictably, rolled his eyes, Naruto finished with a laugh. "So I was thinking my feet would look pretty good on the mountain."

He was still laughing when Sasuke glared at him, and disappeared in a puff of smoke before the chidori could reach him.

…

Naruto was tired.

No, scratch that. Naruto was exhausted.

Even the Kyuubi was silent and unable to help. Stamina and healing only went so far. In the end, sleep remained necessary.

He smiled at the villagers who waved at him as he dragged his feet all the way back to the Uchiha district. Returning their waves or actually talking was beyond him. He was glad he had kicked Sasuke out of the office that afternoon; he would have been a pain if he had realized just how tired Naruto was. Long gone were the days when Naruto could take naps during the day and trust Sasuke to pick up the slack. He knew now why Kakashi hadn't lasted – how could he have, with no more time to get his daily dose of porn?

At last, the walls of the district appeared. Naruto's steps lightened a little. Now, when people greeted him, he waved back. He was beaming when Kushina ran to him.

"Naruto-sama!"

For just a second he regretted the days when she had been a little girl he could pick up and throw in the air over his head. With an inward snort, he dismissed that thought and picked her up anyway. She laughed, a little embarrassed, and was blushing like a fiery sunset when he put her down.

"Uncle Naruto!" she chided, still laughing. "I'm not five anymore."

He looked at her and smiled, feeling a little nostalgic. Her hair was as red as ever, but in a tight braid rather than pigtails. She was taller than him, now, and while she was still wearing the Uchiha fan, it was now a small and discreet embroidery on her Jounin vest rather than the large fan she used to wear on her back as a little girl. How could she already be seventeen, he wondered. It seemed like only the previous day that he and Sasuke had showed up, alongside her parents, for her first day at the academy.

"Not five, no, but still my favorite goddaughter. Even if I haven't seen you in almost a month."

He inclined his head as an invitation to walk with him and she fell into step with him.

"My team returned this morning," she said, looping her arm through his. "Uncle Sasuke said you were busy so he took our report."

Naruto grimaced. Busy was a mild way to put it.

"Everything went well, I trust?"

She flashed him a grin that bared sharp, gleaming teeth. "Our team's the best!"

He nodded, smiling. Konohamaru's students were always very good. "Come see me at the Tower tomorrow. I want to hear your report firsthand. Sasuke always leaves out the good parts."

With a promise to do so, she said her goodbyes and hurried back toward her home. Naruto had reached his own.

Rather than entering trough the front door, he followed the sounds of dull thuds. They guided him to the backyard. Sasuke was there, practicing throwing kunai with Dai.

"But wood kunai are toys!" their youngest daughter was protesting from the top of her five year old lungs. "I want real ones."

Sasuke bent down and beckoned to her with a crooked finger. When she approached him, looking hopeful, he poked her in the forehead. "When you can hit the target every time, you'll get a real one. Not a day sooner, Dai-chan."

She pouted and rubbed at her forehead. Sasuke was smiling as he straightened up; his smile brightened a little more when his eyes found Naruto.

Naruto smiled back. He didn't feel so tired anymore.


	4. Daddy's Girl

**Daddy's Girl**

**.**

Naruto took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and started. His fingers trembled a little from his nervousness. He could feel Sasuke's and Sakura's stares on him.

Sasuke stood on Naruto's right, his arms crossed and his brow set on a disapproving little frown. Naruto had no doubt that, at the first occasion, he would elbow Naruto out of the way and take over. Bastard.

Sakura was on his left, and from the corner of his eye he could see her fingers clench and unclench as his own worked over Misaki's hair, as though she wanted to take his place. She had declared him ready, though, and every now and then she gave a little nod, as though encouraging him to continue.

"Naruto is not hurting you, is he?" Sasuke asked in a tight voice.

Misaki kicked her feet in the air in front of her. "No. Not hurting."

Naruto huffed at him. Sasuke was the one who had complained in the first place that he spent too much time dealing with Misaki's hair. It fell down to the middle of her back, now, and tangled far too easily when she played. She had refused adamantly letting him cut it, though, and that was when Naruto had stepped in and asked Sakura for lessons.

He had reached the end of the braid and looked at Sakura with sudden fear. "I forgot—"

With a roll of her eyes, she produced a pink elastic from somewhere and tried to take the braid from him. He held on to it as though his life had depended on it.

"No, let me."

He took the elastic and fastened it at the end of the braid, making it as tight as he dared to so it wouldn't slip. Looking down, he could see that a few strands had escaped his fingers, and the braid made a strangely wavy line down Misaki's scalp.

"I guess it's all right for a first try," Sakura said with a little sniff.

Sasuke just snorted and said, "He's done, Misaki-chan."

She jumped from her chair, already reaching for her braid. She gave it a little tug and threw herself at Naruto, hugging his legs tightly. Naruto's fears melted in a flash. It seemed he had done something right, after all.

…

"Father, you said you'd teach me!"

Sasuke looked at Misaki in surprise. She and Isas had finished their dinner a little while ago, but while Isas had asked to be excused, she had stayed at the table, staring intently at Sasuke as he finished eating. She had grabbed his hand as soon as he had put down his chopsticks and was now looking at him with huge eyes filled with the entire sky, and all the hope in the world. He couldn't bear the thought to disappoint her—but more than that, he didn't want her to worry about disappointing him.

"You're too young, Misaki-chan," he said with his softest smile. "When you're nine—"

"But Dad said _you_ learned when you were six!"

Sasuke's smile disappeared and he cast a frosty look at Naruto—who looked up from his dinner with wide eyes. He swallowed heavily under Sasuke's glare and ended up coughing on a bit of food. He thumped on his chest, trying to catch his breath, and Sasuke felt a flash of vindictive satisfaction. If little ears hadn't been standing so close, he'd have called Naruto an absolute moron—both for not being able to eat without putting his own life on the line and for talking about stuff he knew nothing about.

He turned his eyes to Misaki again. She was still much too hopeful. He poked her forehead with a gentle finger and shook his head. "I was seven, but it's not—"

She rubbed at her forehead but didn't let him finish. "I am eight! I can learn! Please Father?"

He rarely could resist either of their children when they called him Father, but if Misaki added a trembling bottom lip to the word, he was all but lost.

"We can try," he relented, and Misaki beamed at him. She tugged at his hand until he stood, but he still wanted to caution her. "But promise me you won't be upset if you can't do it. Not everyone can do the Katon jutsu." He threw Naruto another look, this one mocking. "_Naruto_ can't do it."

"Or maybe he has better sense than to play with fire," Naruto replied with a grin that bared too many teeth.

Sasuke shrugged and led Misaki out—and gritted his teeth not to yelp when Naruto pinched his ass as they passed by him.

"I'm sure I can do it," Misaki was saying, oblivious to the glare he was giving Naruto over his shoulder. "You said the Uchiha clan is strong with the Katon jutsu."

He looked down just in time to see her touch the red and white fan embroidered over her heart. Something clenched inside his chest and he squeezed her hand gently. "Misaki-chan…"

Those big blue eyes looked up at him again. Sasuke's reminder that she was a Uchiha, yes, but she hadn't always been vanished before he could voice it.

"I'm sure you'll do your best," he managed to say despite his clenched throat. "And I'll be proud of you just for that."

It took her three weeks of daily practice, but in the end, she did master the Katon jutsu. Just like he had promised, Sasuke was immensely proud of her. And he told her so.

…

Naruto's office door creaked open and he looked up from the scroll he had been reading, both grateful for the interruption and curious. Mission reports were boring, and if Sasuke had been there instead of being out on some stupid mission someone else could have accomplished, it would have been his job to read those. It wasn't like Naruto's ANBU guard to let someone in unannounced, though, and he tilted his head as the door remained just barely open without anyone walking in.

"Yes?" he said even as he stood and stepped away from the desk. He didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to try to attack him here, but one was never too cautious, he had learned long before.

A hand appeared on the edge of the door, the nails painted with red and white stripes. Naruto relaxed instantly and released the clone he had formed just in case. "Misaki-chan?" he called out. "Come in."

She pushed the door open and walked in, spots of color high on her cheeks – or was that more make-up? He didn't like that she was picking up this kind of tips from her teammate, but when he had raised the question with their teacher, Ino's glare had dared him to say a word more about it. "They are chunin," she had said icily. "A bit of blush and eyeliner won't prevent them from fighting."

Naruto wasn't even sure he knew what blush was. He wasn't sure either that he wanted to know.

"Dad… I was wondering…"

Her arms were curled protectively over her belly, and Naruto's stomach immediately leapt to his throat.

"Are you hurt?" he asked at once, rushing to her. "I'll summon Sakura, she can—"

"No, Dad, I'm not—"

At the same time as he gently clasped her arm, a tiny mewling sound rose from her mesh shirt. Naruto blinked. He pulled her arm away, just barely, and two tiny gray heads appeared from behind her arm.

"I found them on my last mission," she explained quickly. "Their mother is dead and the other kittens too. They're the last two." Pleading eyes turned up to him. "Can I keep them, Dad? Please?"

Naruto reached to stroke one of the kitten's head. It mewled a little louder and licked his fingertip.

"Please?" Misaki said again, probably sensing weakness. "I promise I'll take good care of them."

Naruto's objection that she was out of the village on missions too often to do so disappeared when the second kitten stretched its neck to lick his finger too. He sighed loudly. She knew what that meant; a grin stretched her lips.

"Thank you Dad!"

She was already turning away and running for the door. He called after her, "But you're telling Sasuke, you hear me?"

There was no answer. She was gone.

Naruto sighed and wondered what would be worse – to send Sasuke a message and warn him now, or to let him come back and discover they were now adoptive parents to two more orphans.

…

Sasuke stood in front of the closed fridge and touched the kitten-shaped magnet. Stuck beneath it, a piece of paper bore Mikaki's neat handwriting.

_Dad,_

_Please remember to feed Ramen and Akatsuki._

_And don't let Father write too often. Ino-sensei always rolls her eyes when he does and starts telling us these stories of how she dumped him when you all were kids and she's glad she did. As if._

_Be back in three weeks._

_Love you all,_

_Misaki_

His fingers drifted to her name and he touched it gently. At his feet, Suki – Sasuke refused to call the cat by its actual name - mewled loudly and turned yellow eyes up at him. Sasuke absently leaned down to scratch behind its ears. As it always did, Ramen rushed to them and butted in, demanding a turn.

"She's all right," he said softly. "She'll be out of the hospital by the end of the week, you'll see."

The cats purred.

He straightened again and looked at the note once more. Tugging it free from beneath the magnet, he folded it carefully and slipped it in his jacket's inside pocket.

"She's all right," he said again.

Arms wrapped around him from behind and Naruto pulled him close to his chest. "She is. Want to go visit her?"

Sasuke wanted to protest that it was too late; the hospital visiting hours were already over. After a quick look at Naruto's face, however, and at the worry that reflected his own, he nodded.

Let the nurses just try to stop them if they dared.

…

Misaki laughed, the sound like a baby bird's trill. Naruto barely heard it. He was watching her feet as she danced.

He remembered a tiny little girl who had stood on his feet, her hands held securely in his. She had laughed as he walked the two of them across her new bedroom floor, the sorrow of her mother's death forgotten for a few moments.

He remembered, also, an academy student who had come home, one day, with a twisted ankle. Her eyes had been red, but she hadn't cried. It had only been the first of many times when Naruto had wished the Kyuubi could have helped heal his children.

He remembered a then soon to be chunin, who had demonstrated exceptional taijutsu, and ended her fight with her booted feet resting on her opponent's chest. He had been so proud, that day. And so scared to realize there would be no way to keep her close to the village any longer.

He remembered twenty-two years, from the first time she had turned her too blue eyes at him to this instant when each dancing step was taking her further away from him. The memories were like water slipping between his fingers. The more he tried to hold on to them, the faster they disappeared.

Sasuke leaned in toward him and whispered, "Stop looking at her like that, she's going to notice."

With great effort, Naruto turned his eyes to him. Beneath Sasuke's graying bangs, his eyes were soft and understanding.

"We're losing her," he said, unable to raise his voice above a murmur.

Sasuke cupped his face in his hand and traced the scars on his cheek with his thumb. He smiled and shook his head. "She's only getting married. She's still your daughter. She always will be." Sasuke glanced at her the dance floor before looking back at Naruto. "Go dance with her," he said, then briefly pressed his lips to Naruto's. "Go to your girl, and then come back to me."


	5. The Hokage's Lover

In a review from the last series of ficlets someone asked for some sasunarusasu loving... happy to deliver :P

The prompts i used for these were debauch, scream, cold, cat and tree. Feel free to give me a one prompt word when you review.

**The Hokage's Lover**

**.**

Naruto closed the hotel room door behind him and leaned against it. Pulling off his ANBU mask, he considered Sasuke with a wide grin.

"Are you going to debauch me now, captain?" he asked, then licked his lips.

Sasuke looked up from the maps he had spread on the desk and rolled his eyes at Naruto. "Don't use words you don't understand, dobe."

Naruto let the insult pass; it had stopped bothering him a long time before. His grin widened as he stalked over to where Sasuke was sitting.

"I don't?" he said very low. "You mean, I don't understand what it does to you when I do this?"

He slid to his knees in front of Sasuke's chair and pushed at it until it moved sideways and Sasuke was facing him. Without ever breaking eye contact, he undid the fastenings of Sasuke's pants and slipped his hand in, pulling pants and boxers down just enough so he could guide Sasuke's cock out. It had been resting when he first touched it, but now it was growing in his hand, filling up with desire even as its color deepened to a darker pink.

"I've got to review our plans," Sasuke protested half-heatedly. His pupils were already dilated, and his hands were clenched into fists on his thighs.

Naruto ran his tongue along the slit, and hid a grin when Sasuke shivered. "You can check those again later," he murmured, and proceeded to prove to Sasuke that he knew the meaning of 'debauch'. In fact, it wasn't very long before Sasuke himself lost his grip on language.

…

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's legs and shoved them back, not bothering to try for subtlety or gentleness. Those things were usually fine – they just had no place in _this_.

"Don't break the desk," Naruto said, tongue in cheek, leaving the _again_ unvoiced.

Sasuke's only answer was to push two barely-lubed fingers inside him. Naruto gasped. If he thought it was funny – if he thought Sasuke was amused by _any_ of it – he had something else coming his way.

"You're a fucking idiot," he grunted.

Three fingers now. Naruto's eyes were filling with red and he was panting though his clenched teeth. Sasuke pulled his fingers back and undid his pants. He tugged on his cock with his lubed hand twice before pressing the head against Naruto's opening.

In one snap on his hips, he was in – all the way in – and Naruto was screaming wordlessly.

Without waiting, Sasuke pulled back and started thrusting in again. "You thought I wouldn't—"

The door opened before he could finish. Three ANBUs rushed in, kunai in hand, eyes darting over the room, looking for the enemy that was attempting to murder the Hokage. Three sets of eyes widened behind their masks when they fell on said Hokage lying on top of mission reports scattered on his desk, his legs on his secretary's shoulders and his cock hard and flushed on his stomach. At least, Sasuke thought, biting back a hysterical snicker, _his_ cock was hidden from their view.

"Everything's fine," Naruto said, his voice barely cracking. "A little privacy please?"

The ANBU guards retreated and closed the door behind them. Looking down at Naruto's crimson face, Sasuke couldn't help laughing aloud.

"Next time you get mad at me," Naruto said, grinning despite his embarrassment, "remember to lock the door?"

Truth be told, Sasuke didn't remember why he had been mad. He didn't even care all that much anymore. But he did make Naruto scream again before he was done. This time, the guards didn't come in.

…

Sasuke was sick. He wasn't sick very often, but when he was, it was always bad. He hated feeling weak. It made him grumpy. _Grumpier than usual_, Naruto said, but he usually had better sense than to say it where Sasuke could hear. Curled up in bed under three layers of blankets and with two boxes of tissues at hand, he was trying to get warm, but without much success.

The door opened and Naruto appeared, a tray in his hands.

"If that's ramen," Sasuke started, attempting a glare, but already the scent of the soup was wafting toward him. He sat up in the bed, tugging the covers up with him. "Tomato soup?" he said, eyeing the bowl hopefully.

With a grin, Naruto deposited the tray on his lap. "Tomato soup," he confirmed. "Isas-chan helped me make it. He wanted to bring it to you but I didn't want him to catch what you have."

He picked up the spoon and tried to feed Sasuke a bit of the soup, but Sasuke snatched the utensil from him.

"I'm sick," he said, sniffling. "Not impotent."

Naruto refrained from commenting, but his small smirk was suspicious. Sasuke kept a warning eye on him as he all but inhaled the soup, quickly forgoing the spoon to drink directly from the bowl. Too soon, he was eyeing the bottom of the bowl and pouting.

"There's some left if you want more," Naruto offered as he removed the tray.

Sasuke shivered. The soup had warmed him for a moment, but now he was as cold as ever. He slid down the bed again, burrowing in the covers.

"Maybe later," he mumbled.

"I'll let you sleep then."

Naruto started turning away, but Sasuke caught his sleeve before he could leave.

"Climb in," he said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"Your body's like a furnace. Shuck your clothes, get in bed and warm me."

Without a word, Naruto did exactly as Sasuke had asked, laying the tray on the floor and undressing until he was only wearing boxers. Any other time, Sasuke might have teased him about it—the greatest Hokage that had ever lived, or so Naruto claimed, and there he was, hopping when Sasuke said jump. Teasing was beyond him at that moment, though. All he wanted was warmth. And he got that, as soon as Naruto slipped in bed next to him and carefully drew him into his arms.

"Better?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke closed his eyes and hummed his approval.

For a little while, Naruto only held him, sometimes running a hand up and down his back. Sasuke started drifting into sleep, until chapped lips pressed to the side of his neck. The touch felt electric and Sasuke took a sharp breath.

"What 're you doing?" he mumbled.

Naruto's mouth slowly moved along his neck, then followed the line of his jaw, until it was brushing against Sasuke's mouth.

"What does it feel like?" Naruto breathed, and flicked his tongue along the seam of Sasuke's lips.

"Don't," Sasuke protested weakly. "You'll get sick."

"I never get sick. And even if I did, you'd take care of me and it'd be worth it. Now shut up and kiss me."

If he was asking that nicely, Sasuke thought dimly, why resist any longer?

At first, the kiss was gentle, almost tender, like the kisses they shared when they were both too exhausted to do more than hold each other – not cuddle. They didn't do _that_. It didn't last, though, and Sasuke couldn't have said which of them first started rocking against the other. Naruto slipped his leg over Sasuke's, pulling him closer so that their hardening cocks were rubbing together with each movement, the two layers of fabric between them only adding another level of sensations.

Before long, Sasuke was feeling very warm and panting heavily against Naruto's neck. Naruto pushed him onto his back and covered him with his body before increasing his rhythm. Sasuke could only hang on for the ride, his eyes wide and blinking very fast as he looked up into Naruto's fiery gaze.

Afterwards, when Naruto had cleaned the both of them and coaxed a pair of clean boxers onto a drowsing Sasuke, he climbed into bed again. Sasuke curled around him, and let himself fall into dreams in which he basked in the warmth of the sun under a cloudless sky that stretched into infinity.

…

Naruto's hand tightened on Sasuke's hip as he took his first slow thrust inside him. Sasuke let out a quiet moan and arched back, so that on Naruto's next push, his cock slid a little deeper.

"Morning," Naruto murmured, burying the word at the nape of Sasuke's neck.

Another, slightly louder moan was Sasuke's only answer. Naruto wasn't even sure he was fully awake. That was probably just as well; Sasuke could be a pain when he was awakened too early. Funny how it was never too early when _he_ awakened Naruto.

Even with the potential for a Uchiha glare or two, early mornings like this, when they had all the time in the world, were Naruto's favorite. The rest of their lives went by in a blur, it sometimes seemed, and it was nice to just take his time, for once. Slow, lazy strokes. His lips brushing against Sasuke's skin. His fingers tight on his hip for now, but soon he'd slide over and—

Quiet, almost silent steps. A just as quiet purr. Naruto froze. He raised his head and, sure enough, found a pair of glowing yellow eyes observing him.

"Why did you stop?" Sasuke protested, his voice half muffled by the pillow.

Naruto pressed his lips to Sasuke's shoulder, his eyes never leaving the cat. It was lying down by the door, its head resting on its paws, watching them intently.

"Akatsuki," he murmured.

At once, Sasuke's entire body became rigid. He started pulling away, but Naruto was faster and held him in place with a strong arm wrapped around his chest.

"The _cat_," he said, rolling his eyes at Sasuke even if he couldn't see.

Sasuke relaxed again and snorted. "Moron. It's just a cat."

"But he's watching us," Naruto insisted.

Snorting again, Sasuke reached down and grabbed the blankets. He tugged them up until they covered both of them, hiding them entirely. "There. He's not watching anymore. Now fuck me."

With a muttered "Bastard," Naruto resumed his lazy thrusting. His arm at Sasuke's waist loosened and his hand dropped to Sasuke's cock, curling around it with familiarity.

"I swear, that cat is evil," he said, punctuating the words with a small bit to the back of Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke bucked back against him in reply. "What… what did you expect with a name like that?"

"It's not like I named him!" he protested.

"But you could have stopped Misaki-chan from—"

They had had this discussion before, and Naruto knew from experience that it led absolutely nowhere. He accelerated his pace, and grinned to himself when he stole Sasuke's words. In the cocoon of blankets, Sasuke's quiet moans seemed muted, but his scent on the other hand was stronger, the musk of his desire mixing with the tang of his sweat as he shifted his hips to accentuate Naruto's every movement.

As pleasure slowly crested within him, Naruto closed his eyes very tight, trying to keep his orgasm at bay a little longer, but Sasuke was fully awake, now, and he was using _that _trick again, and it just wasn't fair, and—

Naruto bit down on Sasuke's shoulder as he came so he wouldn't cry out—and Sasuke cried out instead.

"Ow! You absolute…"

Whatever insult Sasuke was preparing was never voiced. Still shaking and breathing hard, Naruto pulled away and rolled Sasuke onto his back. His hand on Sasuke's cock pumped up even as his lips closed over the tip, and hand and mouth went down together. Sasuke's fingers clenched in his hair, just a little too tight, a small revenge for the bite, Naruto thought dimly. But if it was about revenge, he too had a few tricks up his sleeve to make his lover come faster than he would have wanted.

When, moments later, he slid up Sasuke's body for a slow kiss, the blanket slipped, uncovering their heads. Akatsuki was still by the door. Naruto could have sworn the damn cat was smirking at him.

…

"If the kids see us, we'll never hear the end of it."

Naruto laughed at Sasuke's mutter, and Sasuke glared at him that much harder. Was he trying to get them noticed?

"Quiet, dobe."

Naruto quieted down but his eyes continued to sparkle with amusement. "No one will think to look up here," he murmured as he slid close enough to rest his hands on Sasuke's thighs, parted as he straddled the branch.

"Of course they won't." Sasuke snorted and looked around them with mild disgust. "What respectable ninjas hide in a tree in their own backyard?"

"Ninjas who want five minutes to themselves?" Grinning, Naruto leaned toward Sasuke and pressed his lips to his neck.

"We have a bedroom for that," Sasuke pointed out. Ridiculous as the whole thing may be, though, he tilted his head to the side, giving Naruto better access.

Naruto slipped a little closer on the branch still. Clutching his hips, Sasuke tugged him until he was practically on his lap, his legs easily encircling Sasuke's waist.

"Bedroom's overrated," Naruto said, the words a caress right below Sasuke's ear. "And it's not like your children stop at a closed door. Uchihas have no manners."

Sasuke harrumphed. "I'm pretty sure that comes from your side of the family." His hands slipped beneath Naruto's cloak, beneath his jacket, beneath his undershirt, and finally found soft skin to caress.

Naruto pulled back to give him a mock glare. "Shut up," he said, "and kiss me."

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke let his right hand drop below the waistband of Naruto's pants – and pinched his ass. "Just because you're the Hokage," he started, but never finished. Naruto's mouth on his stopped him, and he soon forgot what he had wanted to say.


	6. GrumpyPants

**Grumpy-pants**

Merry Christmas, Kantayra! You are the bestest friend one could wish for and I am very grateful to know you

***glomps***

…

Sasuke slammed the front door behind him. With sharp, angry gestures, he took his shoes off, then his ruined shirt. Just a few feet away, Naruto peeked out of the kitchen, a bowl and chopsticks in his hand. He slurped a mouthful of ramen noodles, his eyes roaming over Sasuke's bare chest.

Glaring at the bowl in Naruto's hands, Sasuke stalked forward and into the kitchen. He pulled tomatoes from the basket on the counter, washed them, and started preparing a proper dinner for himself.

"All fixed, then?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke made a sound that could have been agreement. Or an insult. Possibly both.

More slurping, and Naruto asked, "Maybe we should have, you know, actual plumbers look at the entire building? Fix stuff before it breaks?"

"_We_?" Sasuke repeated, throwing a glowering glance back at him. "I didn't see you help me today."

Naruto shrugged, unabashed. "I know nothing about plumbing. Plus Karin doesn't want me in her apartment, remember?"

Sasuke didn't reply and chopped his vegetables a little more fiercely. He knew Karin would never have let Naruto in, knew Naruto had no more experience with plumbing than he did, knew that this was only the beginning of problems brought on by fifteen years of neglect, knew he had nowhere near enough money to fix everything that needed fixing in the compound – but he also knew that it was his responsibility.

"Hey." Naruto's arms slipped around him from behind, his hands covering Sasuke's and stopping the knife. "It'll be okay. We'll fix things as we go. And if Karin has to take a few cold showers, well, okay, it won't help her bad mood, but it's not like she's such a ray of sunshine to begin with."

Sasuke closed his eyes and – he couldn't stop himself – snickered. "You should have seen her. Drenched and flailing like a fish out of water and she kept gesturing and dropping her towel—"

Naruto's teeth sank into Sasuke's neck, right where, long ago, a mark had stood stark and black on his skin. "I really don't want to hear about you ogling Karin," Naruto muttered. "I'd much rather ogle you."

Turning back to him, Sasuke shrugged. "Well, that can be arranged…"

It was quite a while before Sasuke finally had dinner.

…

Arms crossed over his chest, Sasuke refrained – just barely – from tapping his foot impatiently.

Just half an hour earlier, he had brought a pile of documents for Naruto to read and sign. He'd even told him that he didn't really _need_ to read them since Sasuke had already done that and rejected the ones that ought not to be approved. It was all routine, really. Sasuke would have signed the damn things himself, but it was, after all, the Hokage's job.

And Naruto, of course, couldn't manage to do that much.

He cleared his throat again, louder this time, and seriously considered throwing a katon jutsu at Naruto. It'd serve him right to get out of this with singed eyebrows or something, it might even teach him not to fall asleep at his desk. Unfortunately, the jutsu would have destroyed the documents that still need to be signed, and Sasuke did care about that – one of them had to.

Naruto was still snoring, his sleep completely unperturbed.

Sasuke stalked over to him, leaned in close enough to brush a kiss to his cheek… and yelled as loudly as he could. "Wake up!"

He jumped back before Naruto's flailing arms could catch him straight in the face.

"Huh? What? What?"

Sasuke crossed his arms again and glared.

"_What_?" Naruto said again, blinking owlishly. "I was just resting my eyes, that's all."

"And the snoring was what?" Sasuke snapped. "A new jutsu you're developing? How to render opponents deaf with obnoxious sounds?"

Naruto didn't even have the grace to look abashed. "Well," he said slowly, "it's not my fault if my desk is so comfortable."

Sasuke eyed said desk in disbelief. It was fairly clean, apart from that pile of unsigned papers – mostly because _Sasuke_ kept it neat. But comfortable? What on earth was Naruto going on about, now?

He understood when Naruto climbed onto the desk and laid down. His coat was unbuttoned and framed his body. His suddenly naked body. _That_ was a very useful jutsu.

"You should climb up here," Naruto said, tongue in cheek. "You'll see how comfortable it is."

Sasuke huffed. He knew it was. They had done this before. Many times.

His pants hit the floor just a second before the pile of papers did.

…

Sasuke looked around the dojo and glowered. A full inch of dust covered the floor, only slightly disturbed where he and Naruto had walked in here just days after Sasuke had come back to Konoha. He hadn't returned to his old family home since then, hadn't even wanted to, and now he wondered what folly had taken him when he had offered to move their growing family in here. It'd have taken a lot less work to move to another house – preferably one that hadn't been abandoned for close to twenty years.

"We can still move elsewhere," Naruto said behind him, his voice quiet and curiously devoid of emotion.

Sasuke didn't need to ask where the kids were; he could hear them, playing in the garden. Isas' laugh was brighter than Sasuke had ever heard it before. Misaki wasn't laughing, not yet, she was still confused about it all, but he could hear the beginning of joy in her voice as she called for Isas.

"They sound like they like it here," Sasuke said, and without much enthusiasm, he started sweeping the dust from the floor, only to be stopped right away when Naruto clasped his arm.

"But you don't," Naruto said when Sasuke had turned to him. "If you're going to see ghosts and bad memories every time you enter a room—"

Sasuke's mouth opened, ready to explain that right now, all he was seeing was dust, and how much work it would be to clean this mess, but the words remained stuck in his throat. What came out instead was a gruff, "I can't keep running away from this for the rest of my life."

For some reason, that made Naruto smile. He took the broom from Sasuke, set it against the wall, and rested both hands at Sasuke's waist.

"You stopped running a long time ago," he whispered, his lips brushing against Sasuke's. "Maybe you just need to make better memories in this house. Make it your home again."

Apparently, better memories involved kissing and grinding against each other on the floor until they were both so hard it hurt – and until the kids came running in, blabbering excitedly about a blue bird they had seen in the garden.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, sitting on the floor next to him, his hair, his face and his Hokage cloak all gray with dust. He couldn't help himself. He laughed.

…

Sasuke huffed.

Next to him on the bed, Naruto didn't stir at all. Either he hadn't noticed or he didn't care. Sasuke huffed again. Louder now.

Naruto sighed. "Go ahead, say it."

Another huff. "I've got nothing to say." He turned onto his side, presenting his back to Naruto.

"Riiiiight." Naruto sighed again. "You've got nothing to say. And you haven't been giving me the cold shoulder all day. And I bet you're not upset about Dai-chan either, huh?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and didn't reply. He wasn't upset that Naruto had brought another orphan kid home. When Sasuke had seen that report, seen the words 'the child has no other known family', he had known that it would end up like this. He didn't mind, really. His reticence about the way Naruto was repopulating the Uchiha clan had long ago been vanquished by Isas' smile, and Misaki's. But just the same…

"Come on, Sasuke," Naruto said, his hand creeping over Sasuke's hip and toward his crotch. "Don't be mad. She's cute as a button and the kids already love her."

With a quiet growl, Sasuke turned over. He knew, when Naruto jerked back in surprise, that his eyes had to be spinning, but he didn't give a damn. "I'm not mad that you brought her home," he snapped, keeping his voice quiet enough that he wouldn't be overheard from the other bedrooms. "I'm mad because you were so sure I'd say no that you didn't even _ask_. After all this time, after we've lived together for so long, after we've been a family—"

Naruto stopped him by pressing his mouth hard against Sasuke's. When he pulled back, he looked uncharacteristically serious – and just as unexpectedly contrite.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You're right. I should have asked."

Sasuke huffed again and lay back down on his back. He wasn't sure he was ready to forgive Naruto yet, but at least the idiot looked like he understood.

He also looked like he knew just how to ask for forgiveness… He ducked under the covers, and soon he was guiding Sasuke's pajamas down his legs with one hand, and stroking his cock lightly with the other.

"I promise next time I'll ask," Naruto said, his words muffled by the covers.

Before Sasuke could wrap his mind about that - _next time?_ - Naruto's mouth was on him. It was a long time before he could form a coherent thought again, and by then he didn't care about much anymore.

…

Naruto was tired. Not physically; his body was growing old but he was still fine, and he could still beat Sasuke's sorry ass every other day. No, he was mentally exhausted. There had been a plethora of not so good news again today, and while by every measure the village was thriving and the loss of ninjas was at its lowest level from the past fifty years or even more, Naruto still took every death as he would have a physical blow.

Leaning against the windowsill and watching the village at his feet, he couldn't help but remember the day, long ago, when he had stood in his very spot with Kakashi – and Kakashi had asked him if he was ready to become the Seventh Hokage. Maybe he ought to ask himself if he was ready to find the Eight Hokage already. Part of him yearned not to be responsible for so many people anymore; and still, another part, louder than the other one, refused to let go. They were his people, and taking care of them was what he had wanted to do for as long as he could remember.

As his gaze rose, no longer looking at the streets below but finding the mountain and the faces carved there, his attention stopped on the fourth one. Had it been as difficult for his father? It was just one more question he wished he could have asked him.

Even as lost in his thoughts as he was, he couldn't fail to notice the door opening, and knew at once that it was Sasuke approaching. He didn't look back but waited for Sasuke to join him – and nearly jumped a foot in the air when, without warning, Sasuke's hands slid under his coat, bunching it up just a second before he pulled Naruto's pants down.

"What—"

A hand at the back of his neck stopped Naruto from turning around and pushed him forward until he was bending against the window.

"You're brooding," Sasuke interrupted briskly. "That's annoying."

Naruto's reply probably would have included a reference to pots and kettles, but it was difficult to say anything more eloquent than "nnngh" when Sasuke's fingers were inching their way inside of him, already finding with eerily familiarity that spot that made Naruto's knees turn to jelly.

"Of course it's hard," Sasuke muttered, now rubbing the wet tip of his cock against Naruto's ass. "What would be the point if it wasn't?"

For a second or ten, Naruto thought Sasuke was talking about his cock. But then, just as Sasuke pushed in excruciatingly slow, it occurred to him that it wasn't it. Sasuke was just continuing the conversation Naruto had been having with himself. Close to three decades together, and Sasuke could apparently tell what Naruto was thinking about from the next room and behind a closed door.

Laughing quietly, Naruto arched back, forcing Sasuke's cock deeper inside him. "Keep the lectures – ngh – for another… time. And fuck me already."

That was the good part about being the Hokage. People usually did what he said – even Sasuke.


End file.
